The Contracted Ever After (Cordelia and Ronan) novel Chapter 320

The next day, after Ronan had left for work, Cordelia began to dig through Deanna's news articles. She wasn't one to follow entertainment news, so without a reminder from the office, she would have been completely oblivious to Deanna's plans to make a comeback.

She saw a picture of Deanna standing among a group of children, her face beaming with joy.

Cordelia recognized the elementary school. It was the same place where she had once donated computers on behalf of their son, Logan. Now it seemed to have turned into a sanctuary for Deanna to cleanse her image. A sanctuary that Ronan had chosen for her.

Cordelia felt a pang in her heart. She tried to focus on her work but couldn't. Her phone battery was dead, and she had no interest in charging it. She had no desire to deal with Deanna or see her putting on a show.

……

In Ronan's office.

The police had delivered the final case report.

The investigation concluded that the delivery man had accidentally included a piece of white phosphorus in Samantha's parcel. When the parcel arrived at Samantha's, the phosphorus combusted before the parcel could be opened. It happened during the night, and Samantha first noticed the fire in her room. She woke up her parents, but by the time she reached Brenna's room, Brenna had already perished in the fire.

The police had taken the delivery man into custody. He claimed it was an accident; the phosphorus was for personal use, and there was no one behind him. Apart from the company's penalty, he would also face criminal charges, albeit minor ones.

[Mr. Evans, this is the full report. Samantha had no intent to kill. As for her negligence towards the fire, she vehemently denies it, and we can't record any confession or charge her without evidence.] Officer Lane said on Messenger.

Ronan scrutinized the report, feeling that something was amiss. Deanna, with her level of intellect, wasn't likely to have devised such a plan. She probably didn't even know when phosphorus would combust, or that it could combust at all. If it wasn't an accident and someone had planned it, that person was indeed cunning.

The door knocked.

"Come in," Ronan said.